The era of face swaps and deep fakes have created a fair share of creepy videos and images, as well as occasionally being used to bring games like Red Dead Redemption 2 to life. One new video in particular that has been shared by some a fan has taken a step towards imagining what a classic western film might look if it starred Red Dead Redemption 2's Arthur Morgan instead of the original actor.
Recently posted to Reddit by user Lionheart9319, this newest creation appears to have been made with a face swapping app, which keeps the facial expression a little static throughout. Still, seeing Arthur Morgan step out of Red Dead Redemption 2 and into a more realistic Wild West is a strangely welcome sight for many fans.
The movie in question that has been reintroduced with Arthur Morgan's face in it is Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, notably starring Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name. Given that this is one of Eastwood's most notable roles in his early career, swapping out the actor might be especially odd for fans of the classic Spaghetti Western. However, as some fans of Red Dead Redemption 2 noted in the comments to Lionheart9319's post, this does show the potential for a possible film or TV series from the popular game franchise.
Considering that Arthur Morgan already looks at least reasonably similar to his voice actor Roger Clark, this could show what the actor might look like when taking the role to film instead of motion capture. Of course, the face swap isn't exactly perfect either, using a basic app that doesn't quite pick up the nuances of Clark's facial performance when plastering Morgan's face onto Clint Eastwood. In fact, some fans checking out the video have called it creepy in a way, though considering its use, many have noted that it isn't the weirdest thing they've seen deep fake's used for.
In a time where everything from Monster Hunter to Uncharted are receiving movie adaptations, players have been quick to point out Red Dead Redemption's potential as a film or TV series. So, getting a sort of preview in the way of slapping Arthur Morgan into The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, continues to show fans how this series could look when actually taken to a new format. While this recent video might still have that creepy deepfake vibe, it is still a strong showing of taking the lover letter to the western genre that is Red Dead Redemption and adapting it to the big screen.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.